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Goals of the ProgramPurposeThe reduction in technology costs over the last few years have empowered many aspiring entrepreneursto develop a new product or service distributed through web and mobile channels in record time. Whatonce took many months to develop can now be ready for launch in just a few weeks. Despite all of this,and perhaps partly because of it, many aspiring entrepreneurs are quick to forget the value of actuallytalking to potential customers before building their own great idea and forego the incredible amount ofinsight they can gain from doing so. Engagement with real potential customers is of fundamentalimportance in the first phase of Steve Blank’s Customer Development methodology, called CustomerDiscovery.Customer Discovery simply begins with seeking to gain empathy -- that is, developing a deepunderstanding of a customer’s needs and motivations.Program OverviewThis program will take an actionable approach to teaching the best practices of the first phase ofconducting customer discovery -- which is testing a problem and assessing its importance -- throughactive learning. This program takes the theory of customer discovery and breaks it up into digestiblechunks that any aspiring entrepreneur can apply.Many people understand the fundamental importance of “getting out of the building” and the incredibleinsights that can be gained from actually talking to potential customers - yet still struggle with the tacticsof doing so. People are often blinded by their own ‘idea/solution bias’, while others are simply seekingout what they want to hear; as opposed to listening and recognizing common patterns. Others simplydon’t know the tools to use or tactics to deploy. The focus of this program is to give individuals anopportunity to build their own skills and become proficient in the art of conducting customer discovery.Program Teaching Objectives● How to generate assumptions about your customer segment and value proposition● How to define and execute pass/fail experiments to validate or invalidate these assumptions● How to find and reach out to potential customers and develop a customer contact list● How to actually talk with potential customers and surface insight about their needs andmotivations.● How to map customer segment personas and begin to recognize patterns that emerge duringyour discovery processTeaching Methodology

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This program is very actionable. Through collaborative group activities, and keeping a focus ondeveloping relevant and practical deliverables, individuals build the skills necessary for future attemptsat customer discovery. For all intensive purposes, we assume that the opportunity is large enough for theparticipant to warrant further discovery.Starting with the ‘Solution’ or ‘Value Proposition’Starting with EmpathyProgram StructureTeam FormingEach individual has the opportunity to give a 90 second pitch. Through a voting process, we then narrowit down to the top 8-10 concepts. Then teams will be formed and you’ll dive into group activity work.

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How to GENERATE ASSUMPTIONSModule: Developing a Customer Segment ‘Point Of View’ (POV)Deliverable Time Activity TypeComprehensive list ofassumptions about your team’scustomer segment25 minutes GroupCustomer Segment PersonaFirst, segment your customers into as many specific personas as possible. Include specific charactertraits, motivations, demographics, behaviors and most importantly, available budget to come up with atvarious customer segment personas.If you are operating in a multi-sided market, make sure to include customer segment personas for bothyour USERS and PAYERS.JobNext, use the Customer/Job POV Mad Lib example below to generate a set of assumptions about thejobs your customer segment personas are trying to get done. This can be the tasks they are trying toperform and complete, the problems they are trying to solve, and the needs they are trying to fill.is tryingbecause

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GainsNow, use the Customer/Gain POV Mad Lib example below to generate a set of assumptions about thebenefits your customer expects, desires or would be surprised by. This includes functional utility, socialgains, positive emotions, and cost savings.feelsbecausewants/needsbecause

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PainsLastly, use the Customer/Gain POV Mad Lib example below to generate a set of assumptions about thenegative emotions, undesired costs and situations, and risks that your customer experiences or couldexperience before, during, and after getting theirjobs done.feelsbecausewants/needsbecause

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Module: Developing Value Proposition AssumptionsDeliverable Time Activity TypeComprehensive list ofassumptions about your teamsvalue proposition25 minutes GroupValue Proposition Mad LibsBegin your value proposition mad lib with the phrase “how might we create” or “how might weeliminate”, followed by one of your team’s ‘pain’ or ‘gain’ assumptions you previously generated. Whatyou and your teams come up with as a solution is either a ‘gain creator’ assumption or ‘pain reliever’assumption.create=eliminate=

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How to FIND CUSTOMERSModule: Reaching Potential CustomersDeliverable Time Activity TypeDevelop a Customer Contact List 1 hour GroupBefore you begin your customer discovery journey you need to begin identifying who you should startspeaking with to validate or invalidate the set up assumptions you have generated. You may initiallybegin broad, then hone in on specific customer segment personas over time as you collect moreanecdotal evidence. Below are a few methods you can use to target an initial batch of people to talkwith.● Set up Google Alerts to be notified when someone is writing about a related topic. Follow upand attempt to contact the author directly.● Employ ‘social listening’ tactics to see who is talking about the topic. One great tool is Topsy -- itcan provide insight into a world of conversations.● Read industry related blogs to see who is commenting on a particular subject and join in on theconversation. See who engages with you, they will probably be willing to speak with you.● Use Linkedin to target individuals who work in the industry of your concept and message them.Make sure they are at least a 2nd or 3rd degree connection● Blogging allows you to share what you’ve learned, your opinions, or are currently doing, and is agreat way to build an audience -- and subsequently, potential customers.● Utilize video content marketing as a means to attract people to you. Specifically, a Wistia videoembedded in a Launchrock page can be a powerful way to get a people excited enough to sharetheir email address with you and be willing to speak about their experiences in more depth.If you are operating in a multi-sided market, make sure to develop a list that includes both USERS andPAYERS.

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How to GAIN CUSTOMER INSIGHTModule: Developing your Interview PlanDeliverable Time Activity TypeDevelop an Interview Plan for atleast (3) individuals from yourteam’s Customer Contact List25 minutes GroupBefore you meet anyone for any interview, you need to take the time and get prepared. Below are a fewactions you should spend time on before speaking with anyone - people value their time, so don’t wasteit.Abstracting Your AssumptionsPrepare for the interview by generating a list of questions based on your customer segmentassumptions. Then, abstract your questions to disguise what you would would otherwise ask directly.This may sound counterintuitive, but you don’t want to ask questions in a manner that can influence apotential customer’s response.Developing Your Interview Plan● Conduct research on the industry - if you are not a domain expert, you are going to have to takethe time to become one. Search for industry reports, establish Google alerts, read scholarlyarticles, etc.● Conduct research on the company - don’t look foolish upon arrival and not knowing anythingabout the company. Take the time to read a company’s website.● Conduct research on the person - at the very least, take the time to read the person’s publicLinkedin profile and any biography listed on their company’s website. Additionally, you neverknow what will pop up from a Google search.● Starter Questions - make sure to have a few opening questions to build rapport. This cancommonly be something you discover about the company or person during your research.● Conversation Prompts - asking “yeah, but why?” or “that’s interesting, but how?” are greatfallback questions if you feel the conversation stalling.● Ask for additional contacts - you need to develop a reference story ... and write a highlyprofessional email getting right to your ASK (which is an interview :)Developing Your Approach

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Conducting an interview with people you’ve never met before can be a little bit intimidating the firsttime you try. Thus, the importance of practice! Begin by practicing your opening approach with otherteammates and overtime you will become more comfortable.Sample Interview Questions● “Can you tell me the story about that?”● “And then what happened?”● “Why [or how] did you do that?”● “What did you love [or hate] about that?”● “If you could wave a magic wand, what would it be like?”● Tell me about an experience when ...● What are the best/worst parts about ...● Can you help me understand more about ...

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Module: Conducting Customer InterviewsDeliverable Time Activity Type(4) Customer DiscoveryInterviews90 minutes PairsDo and Don’tActually Talking with CustomersThe first step of conducting customer discovery interviews is about gaining empathy and surfacinginsight. There is simply no better way to gain an understand of potential customers above and beyond“getting out of the building” and actually talking to your customers. In the beginning this can be anincredibly uncomfortable experience but will ultimately prove to be the most effective if done right.This is an exercise in self-control, because most people ask a question when they already have theanswer in mind that they want to hear -- particularly if they are consumed by the genius of their ownidea. They are not really asking questions to learn and gain empathy, they just want help validating whatthey themselves have already assumed as true and great -- most always their own envisioned product orsolution to a problem they think they understand, but really don’t.Existing MarketsWhen operating in an existing market and the problem is well understood, you can use a ProblemPresentation .... resegmentation ....What’s a Problem Presentation?A problem presentation is designed to elicit information from customers. It works incredibly well inexisting markets when the problem is well understood. Innovative solutions can help save time, reducecosts or deliver a better experience.The presentation summarizes your assumptions about customer “pains” and “gains” and about howtheyre solving the problem today. It can also offer some potential solutions, to test whether yourassumptions are correct.The first step is to describe your assumed list of problems, pause and ask the customers what they thinkthe problems are, whether youre missing any problems, how they would rank the problems, and whichare must-solve rather than nice-to-solve. Youve hit the jackpot when the customer tells you she will doanything to solve the problem.Unknown Markets

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Alternatively, if you are operating in a new market or working with a disruptive technology, CustomerDiscovery is not about conducting a focus group. Simply asking customers “Tell me, what is your biggestpain point?” Or, “What do you think of this solution?” is not Customer Discovery. This is a big idea andimportant to understand, because people don’t always understand their own problems. You are lookingfor specific stories about their day to day experiences that can surface insight about their true needs andmotivations and how their life will be different once they begin using your product or service.Then, you have to really listen and become tuned-in for ‘customer doorways’ to probe further into.‘Customer doorways’ can be a bold statement the person makes, an inconsistency between what theysay or do, silence, or sudden, animated gestures. When you notice one of these actions, go through that‘customer doorway’ and probe further by asking how and why. Essentially playing completely naive cansurface some great insight about whether or not you think this person will turn into a real customer.● Listen - This may seem obvious but it is surprising how much we do not listen to the people weare trying to solve problems for. Forget about yourself and be completely optimistic and open tolistening to the needs of your customers.● Seek Stories - High level conversations won’t inspire you to be able to ideate towards aremarkable solution. Seek in depth stories about a users experiences that touch their emotions.● Ask “Why” AND “How” - As you are listening to stories and hear them express a point, alwaysdig deeper and ask why. You may have heard of the ”5 Why’s” technique which is ultimately ifsomeone expresses something asking why 5 times will usually get them to express a deeperneed which they may not have understood initially.Demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in delivering a solution that will eliminate “pains” orcreate “gains” for the customer. Being as authentic as possible when engaging with someone will allowthem to reveal their true needs and motivations. We all know the feeling of what it is like to beinterviewed and how different we are than a genuine conversation with a friend.Additional ways to gain empathy● Immersion - There is simply no better way to gain empathy for a problem a customerexperiences than actually living through their experience.● Observation - One straightforward observation technique is to actually ask the customer tophysically demonstrate to you how they are currently solving a particular problem. Additionally,you can have them draw the process flow of how they are currently conducting a specific job.In closing, conducting customer discovery is truly an art -- which implies you must practice if you want tobe any good. You can study its theory forever, but until you put it into practice, you will never

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understand its intricacies. Customer Discovery is an intuitive process and relies on an individuals abilityto recognize common themes expressed amongst the people they speak with and to possess the selfcontrol, objectivity, and realism to be honest about whether or not you can fulfill one of these learnedneeds or motivations. The mastering of this art is what makes or breaks a great entrepreneur.

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How to ANALYZE FeedbackModule: Mapping the Customer ArchetypeDeliverable Time Activity Type(4) Customer Archetype Maps 25 minutes GroupInclude specific traits, motivations, demographics, behaviors and most importantly, the customer’savailable budget.Mapping a ‘Day in the Life’ of a CustomerBeing able to map of the day of a customer is really powerful and can provide some great insight● Quotes/Defining Words● Thoughts & Beliefs● Actions & Behaviors● Feelings & EmotionsDeveloping an Empathy Map -- interviewsVisit http://dschool.stanford.edu/wp-content/themes/dschool/method-cards/empathy-map.pdfAffinity Map -- observationObservation - what actually happened, versus what one interprets happens -- then asking what they aredoing.‘Clumping’ areas ...Pattern Recognition● What was the most memorable and interesting story?● What did the person care about the most? What motivates him or her?● What were they frustrated by the most?

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Module: Developing a Problem Recognition MatixModule: Developing a Pattern Recognition Matrix● Problems -- what problems did you hear or observe?● Emotions● Processes● Roles● Tools● Contexts● Needs/MotivationsDetermining the problem types can be difficult, and you might be tempted to overstate a problem tovalidate your own desired solution. Ask yourself the following questions to determine which problemtype the customer actually experiences.● What was the most memorable and interesting story?● What did the person care about the most? What motivates him or her?● What were they frustrated by the most?Connecting all of your anecdotal evidence -- Bob DorfScientists observe data, notice patterns, develop hypotheses, and then test those hypotheses. Pattern recognition isonly a step along the way to developing hypotheses about the underlying cause. -- Chris DixonDeliverable Time Activity TypeProblem Recognition Matrix 25 minutes GroupA problem recognition matrix is a great tool that can help you quantifyCustomer TypesCustomer analysis starts with understanding for what types of customer to approach. Chances are thatseveral people in a number of categories have problems that your product can solve.● End Users● Influencers● Recommenders● Economic Buyers● Decision Makers

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Module: Create an Aggregate Customer Discovery ScorecardThe customer discovery scorecard is an aggregate of all customer interviews conducted and provides asense of whether there’s enough customer excitement to warrant further motion. Additionally, it canhelp you spot trend and recognize patterns.The analysis should help gauge whether the right people were contacted and whether enoughearlyvangelists candidates were identified.● Excited and Urgent Need● Business-Impact● Work-around● 120 day● Key Decider

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Module: Developing a Low Fidelity MVPDeliverable Time Activity TypeLow Fidelity MVP 60 minutes GroupLow Fidelity MVPA low fidelity MVP exists to test and assure that customers care about the “pain” and “gain”assumptions you developed earlier. They can be built by those with and without knowledge of computerprogramming. For a list of tools and resources to develop your team’s MVP please visit here.Viability ExperimentsWizard of OzPPCConcierge Tests

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NOTESInclude an empathy map template for mapping out the customer archetypePOV statementsHMWSuggestions from Kahlil CorazoActual examples (eg, experiences in getting the right customers to interview, kinds of MVPs). Actuallygetting out of the building would be worthwhile. Boards (eg, one of variant of the business modelcanvas) have been helpful in putting focus on team output.Additional Suggestions from Kahlil Corazo● How do you get people to interview? Especially for B2B, this is very geography and field specific,and at least in my case, an interview takes at least a week to setup, with lots of rejections andfalse leads.● Preparing for interviews● Conducting interviews● Capturing data (note taking) and figuring it out● Using PPC and landing pages to validate interest or get early adopters● Doing a Wizard of Oz● Test selling (and finding a repeatable and scalable way to get customers● Lean Startup books seem to be written for teams, but as youve probably noticed, there are a lotof single founders. It seems to be a different game for single founders.+ = Product